


Don't Tell Me if I'm Dying

by Never_Out_Of_Style



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Avatar to Avatar, F/F, Gen, Injury Recovery, Post Book 3, Sleepy Cuddles, Spirit World, Team Avatar squished in one bed, Team Feels, Uncle Iroh 5ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-24
Updated: 2017-01-24
Packaged: 2018-09-19 15:43:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,697
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9448508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Out_Of_Style/pseuds/Never_Out_Of_Style
Summary: Earth. Fire. Air. Water. Only the Avatar can master all four elements and bring balance to the world.But ultimately, she is still human.And sometimes humans break.





	

"I've done all the healing I know how to do. At this point, the only other person in the world who can help her is my mother."

"Korra is too weak to be transported to the Southern Water Tribe. She'd never survive the journey."

"Mother is strong for her age, but she isn't well enough to travel. Especially not this far."

"What are we going to do? I can't just sit here and watch. She may be the Avatar, Tenzin, but she's also my only daughter."

A sigh. "I know, Senna. I love her as one of my own. But I can't ask my mother to come here in her condition. She's strong, but fragile. She hasn't been the same since my uncle died."

"How is Korra really, Kya? Could she make the journey?"

"I don't know, Tonraq--if Korra doesn't wake up in the next twenty-four hours, I'm afraid . . . I'm afraid for her. She's slipping; I can tell. She's been unconscious for five days now. We can't sustain her like this forever. You know if she were given the choice, she wouldn't want it to be like this." 

"How can you possibly know what she wants?" 

"Tonraq!"

Asami rolled over to her other side, keeping her eyes tightly shut. She knew the conversation happening in the room across from hers was one she had been deliberately excluded from, but she couldn't help overhearing when they didn't bother to keep their voices down. Maybe if I keep my eyes closed, I'll wake up and this will all be some horrible nightmare . . .

She clamped and released her fist, images from the past days playing behind her eyelids. Driving the airship all night to Republic City and still feeling completely useless. Watching Mako carry a bundle into the healer's hut, the Avatar's face carefully concealed to avoid publicity. Catching Pema and Senna crying together in the kitchen at 3 in the morning. Brewing tea for Tenzin as he lay in bed, his wounds slowly mending. Seeing Tonraq hold a motionless Korra to his chest and realizing that if the same thing had happened to her, there would be no mother nor father available to comfort her. Her heart clenched.

She opened her eyes, feeling her body shake with the effort of holding back the tears. She couldn't cry, not now. It didn't feel right to cry when there was so much pain in this house, so much of it not her own. She cautiously put her legs over the side of the bed. She stifled a gasp as her feet contacted the floor--it was freezing. 

I have to see her. Now. Even if it's only for a few minutes . . .

She, Mako, and Bolin had been expressly forbidden from seeing Korra since they had arrived on Air Temple Island. Everything in the past couple days had blended into some miserable, nondescript blob of memories, but Asami recalled something along the lines of "adults only", which was cute, because 18-year-olds who had saved the world multiple times certainly didn't count as adults. 

Asami slid her door open as slowly and quietly as she could. 

The first thing she saw was Mako and Bolin pressed up on either side of the door across from her room, their expressions grim. She cleared her throat, alerting the brothers of her presence.

"Uh, hey Asami," Mako began lamely.

Bolin merely smiled sheepishly. 

Asami couldn't help but laugh. "What are you two doing up this late? Couldn't sleep? Or did you overhear them talking, too?"

"Started out as the former, became the latter," Mako admitted, casting his eyes to the ground. "I can't stand this."

"You don't really think they're going to let her die, do you?" Bolin asked, his lip trembling. "They can't. I mean, it's Korra we're talking about." 

"I was just on my way out to see her," Asami said, a conspiratory gleam in her eye. "You two can come with me if you'd like." 

Bolin hesitated. "But Tenzin said . . . "

"I'm coming," Mako said instantly, jumping to his feet. He offered a hand to his brother. "Bo?"

"All right. Let's do this. Operation: Save Korra!"

If only 'Operation: Save Korra' hadn't failed a couple days ago, Asami thought bitterly.

"Do you know where they're keeping her?" Mako asked as they wandered down the hallway.

"I'm not sure, but unless they moved her, I think I saw them put her in here a couple days ago . . . " Asami stopped to pull open the door. 

All three of them stood stunned, unable to move. Korra lay in the middle of the bed, her body eerily still. Something about the scene was inherently forbidden and private. 

Mako was the first to move, striding to the side of the bed. "Is she still breathing?" 

Asami joined him, holding the back of her hand above Korra's nose. Relief washed over here as she felt the tufts of breath. "Just barely. Her chest isn't even rising. Not that I can see, anyway."

Bolin walked to the other side of the bed, gripping the Avatar's hand gently. "Oh, Korra. Where are you? It's time to come back, please."

"Do you think she can hear us?" Mako asked, gently trailing his fingers across her forehead.

Asami had a funny feeling that she could. "Yeah, I think so. I don't think she's asleep. People who are in comas can still hear, even if they can't respond."

Bolin tentatively crawled under the covers next to her.

"Bolin! What are you doing?" Mako folded his arms over his chest. "Coming to visit her in the middle of the night is one thing. But you can't just climb into bed with her while she's still recovering."

Asami crawled into her bed from the other side, much to his chagrin. "Look, if what they're saying about Korra is true, none of us knows how much longer we have with her. I'm hoping it's another 100 years at least, but if it isn't, I'm not going to sit quietly in another room while she slips away. I'm staying right here."

Mako stared at them disapprovingly before, "Fine. Bo, move over, Bro."

When the "adults" would come and check in on Korra an hour and a half later, they would be surprised to find not one, but four teenagers all curled up against each other in one bed. 

Tenzin smacked his palm to his forehead. "Why does my forbidding something make it ten times more appealing?"

Pema snaked her arm in his. "You were young once, too, you know."

Tenzin snorted but smiled in spite of himself. "You can't prove that."

*************

 

Korra cracked her eyes open, taking in her surroundings. The world around her was very bright, swirling with colors in violent hues. Something wasn't quite right . . .

She held her hand in front of her face to block out the sun, jumping when she saw a short, pudgy little arm. She looked down at her body and saw a potbelly. 

I'm little again.

"Korra!" Iroh was hustling towards her, worry etched into the lines of his face. He looked so scared. 

"Iroh," she said with a smile. "I missed you!"

He fell to his knees, grasping her tightly. "I missed you, too, Korra. Are you all right?"

"Yeah . . . why wouldn't I be?" His anxiety was so apparent that she couldn't help feeling nervous, too. 

"You're in the spirit world, Korra." 

"I know. Is that bad?" her bottom lip stuck out in a pout. Going to the spirit world isn't supposed to be bad . . .

He smiled, but Korra could see the pity lurking behind his expression. "You didn't meditate here, Korra. You're unconscious. Your spirit dragged you here for respite."

"Dragged me here?" Korra repeated, blinking. She couldn't remember anything. Had something bad happened? Was everyone ok? She would never forgive herself if someone else got hurt on her watch.

Iroh cupped her cheek and rubbed it with his thumb. "It's going to be all right, Korra. You were injured badly in your last battle. I think you came here to begin the long journey of processing what happened to you. I do not envy the task ahead of you. But if you succeed, you will emerge from the ashes stronger than before."

She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to take in his wisdom. More than anything, she just felt overwhelmed. 

She felt embarrassed as the heat behind her eyes erupted into tears. She didn't even know what had happened to her, but she already felt helpless and alone. 

"Can I just stay here with you, Iroh?"

She was surprised to see that he was crying, too. 

"I'm afraid staying here too long means you won't be able to go back. But don't worry, Korra. I brought a friend who can help you."

Korra sniffed. "Y-you did?"

Iroh gestured at a man walking towards them. Korra spotted the vivid blue airbending tattoos reflecting in the sun's light.

"Aang?" 

"Hello Korra," he greeted with a warm smile. 

"I'll let you two have some time alone to talk," Iroh said, rising from his knees. Korra opened her mouth to protest, holding forcefully to his hand. "Don't worry, Korra, I'll be back to say good bye when you've finished."

Aang sat cross-legged across from her, still smiling.

"How are you here?" Korra asked suspiciously. "I thought my connection to my past lives was severed when Vaatu hurt Raava."

Aang nodded. "Almost, but not quite."

"How come I can talk to you, then? Are you sure you're the real Aang?"

"If I weren't the real Aang, you would have known by now," he said, his eyes twinkling. "I'm here because you called me here. I will never ignore your calls for help, Korra. Even if we have been separated physically, we can still communicate in the spirit world. All you have to do is ask."

"But I've been here before, and this is the first time I've ever seen you. A lot of bad things have happened and no one was there to help me. Why didn't you come sooner? What's so special about now that you decided to show up?"

"I don't always come directly, Korra. Sometimes I let your friends and family help out instead of coming myself. Do you think it's entirely fair to say that you were alone during your battles?" 

Korra hugged her knees to her chest. "No." 

"Then why are you still mad at me?" 

"Because," she paused to think. "I don't know. I guess . . . I guess I would have liked to know you were here for me sooner. And I wish bad things didn't happen to me and to my friends, especially when you know they're going to happen. I wish you would have at least warned me beforehand, even if it was going to happen, anyways."

"I can't force anyone to stop doing bad things, just as I could never force you to do the right things. I do my best to guide you, Avatar Korra, but I cannot make your choices for you. You grow through making your own decisions, both the good, and the bad." 

Korra knew he was right, though she still felt frustrated. "But then why have you been hiding from me this whole time? I needed you, Aang. It hasn't been easy without you."

For the first time in their conversation, Aang looked sad. "I wanted desperately to come, but I couldn't. You wouldn't let me anywhere near you. You wanted to be alone."

"That's not true!" Hot, angry tears pooled down her cheeks. "I've felt lonely so many times. I never wanted to be alone! I've messed up really badly, and now I'm hurt. And it's all your fault! You could have been there! You could have saved me!"

Aang shook his head. "Korra, have you been actively working on your spirituality since I saw you last?"

"No," Korra said guiltily, looking at her toes.

"How can you expect me to talk to you when you're cutting off the part of yourself that is connected to me?" 

"I can't," Korra admitted. "I'm just—I’m afraid of my spiritual self, sometimes. It doesn't come easily to me. It feels unnatural, foreign almost. It's a lot easier to stick to what I already know."

"I understand," Aang nodded. "Weaknesses can become our greatest strengths if we allow ourselves to be humbled and transformed by them. The only time we truly fail is when we fail to keep trying. I have much hope in you yet, Avatar Korra."

"You do?" Korra looked up. 

"Of course," he gathered her into his arms, resting his head atop hers. "I will never, ever leave you, Korra. In those times when you feel far away from me, or think that I am not there, that is usually when we are the closest. Remember what I said to you last: when we hit our lowest point, we are open to the greatest change."

Korra nodded, feeling suddenly weak and drained. "Aang, can I just stay here with you for a while? I don't want to leave." 

He nodded, pulling her closer. Korra let her eyes close, slipping into sleep.

******

"Korra." 

She opened her eyes, staring into Aang's kind face. 

"Aang?"

"If you stay, you won't be able to go back."

"I know, that's what Iroh said earlier," she pulled herself into a sitting position. "Do I have to go back, Aang? I don't know if I can face whatever I left back there."

"I will never force you to do anything, Korra. What awaits you on the other side is likely going to be the hardest thing you have ever done. Even in your short eighteen years, you have done much for the world, and your service would be remembered as honorable. But if you choose not to go back, you will be sorely missed by those who love you most."

Korra remembered the faces of her parents, her friends, Tenzin and his family . . . it wouldn't be right to leave them now. She longed for them.

"What if they don't need me anymore, Aang? What if I can't protect them? What if I can't bring balance to the world?"

"They will always need you. Every single Avatar comes to the world with a unique mission and a purpose. We may be the same spirit incarnated, but we are different as individuals. There is so much more to you than bending the elements and being the Avatar, Korra. Your worth doesn't come from your calling. It is inherent. Promise me if you choose to go back, you will also choose to find out who you really are."

Korra swallowed. "Ok. I promise. Will you promise to be with me, Aang?"

"Always. You are never alone, Korra."

"Come, Korra," Iroh abruptly appeared at her side, his smile wide. "I will show you the way back."

"One final request, Korra," Aang said, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Yes?"

"Please tell my children that I love them all very much. And let Bumi know that I'm proud of him. Can you do that for me?"

Korra nodded, taking one last long look at Aang before waving good bye and turning to follow Iroh. His lantern bobbed in the darkness as they walked along through the dark forest in their path.

"You knew I'd choose to come back, didn't you?"

"No," Iroh answered truthfully. "But I hoped that you would. Your friends and family will be so happy to see you after so long, and you have much still to accomplish in this life." 

"I'm scared," Korra admitted, clinging to his robes. "I don't know if I made the right choice. What if I go back and they decide they don't need me anymore?" 

Iroh wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "The joy that will fill them when they see you awake and alive will be overwhelming. I have kept watch over them while you've been gone."

"How long have I been gone now?"

"Too long, Avatar Korra. Please come see me again, but next time, do so of your own accord. And bring a friend for tea and cake!" He laughed, giving her one last hug before she disappeared.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know if you liked it :)


End file.
